La Faye Howard, assistant principal at Winston Churchill High School, was named the 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year by the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
She now will compete for the national title.
Churchill held a surprise celebration in her honor Friday. Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor, Board of Education President Julie Yang, Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmember Sidney Katz attended.
“Every day, we want to come in and do our very best,” Howard said during the celebration at the school. “We want to be impactful; we want to cultivate relationships, and we want to make a difference for every student we come across. That is my goal and intention every day.”
Howard was nominated by Churchill Principal John Taylor.
“It’s a virtuous cycle when you have great students, great educators and great leadership in a school building,” Taylor said. “When that is strengthened by having great assistant principals that lift up what’s happening in the school, amazing things happen. You need to spend about 10 seconds at Winston Churchill High School to know great things are happening here.”
Howard leads the school’s No Place for Hate student group, which has more than 120 members.
The NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year program annually recognizes outstanding middle and high school level assistant principals who have excelled in facilitating high quality instruction and learning opportunities positively impacting all students. These leaders are acknowledged by their peers and school communities for their exemplary contributions to the profession.
The award recognizes leaders in the areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment as well as building professional learning within their schools that promote wellness, equity, student centeredness, results orientation and collaborative leadership and innovation.
Photos Courtesy of MCPS
